The worst part
by PikaDrayer
Summary: Life was supposed to be easy and lonely for Gareth Mallory when he decided to headed to London from Ireland after his captivity. So why is he now the head of the MI6 and surrounded by evil double-o's and peoples who hate him ? (Sorry I had absolutely no idea for the title or the summary )
1. Chapter 1 : Trust

**It will probably be a story in two or three chapters :) No relationship for the moment but maybe later, who knows ?**

 **Enjoy !**

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It was late in the night –or early in the morning at this point– but it wasn't a problem for the head of the MI6. Even if Gareth Mallory decided to go home now he would probably be unable to sleep, and even if he succeed it would only to be waking up by a nightmare. The most ridiculous part was that it was always the same, at the same place, with the same peoples and the same events. But it didn't change the fact that he couldn't stand to revive this again and again.

People always thought it was because those three months he spend as a captive of IRA, and it was true in a certain way –torture tended to do that to a man– but it wasn't the main reason. No, the worst was the smile of the one he considered like a brother and thought was his friend when they paid him for his treason.

After that the Lieutenant-Colonel even once he was rescued swore to himself to never trust anyone again. That was the main reason which pushed to leave the Herford's regiment in the North Ireland, how could he possibly face the ones that once were his friends and now he no longer believe in ? So he left, headed for England and immediately accepted when they proposed him a post as the new Chief of the Commission. It was a new start for him, nobody from his past, and nobody paying enough attention to him for wanting to be in his future. Perfect !

In the end nothing happened as he wished. The explosion of the MI6, Raoul Silva, the death of M … It wasn't supposed to be this way, he wasn't supposed to become the new head of the agency. So that's why he was actually stuck in his office at five in the morning to take care of the mess caused by Bond's recent mission. This man was the devil, he didn't give a shit about orders nor about Mallory who he judged not good enough to take the title 'M' after the woman did he care so much for. And Gareth didn't mind first, nor did he mind the cold looks of the other agents, the rudeness in Tanner's tone or the distance Eve had put between them.

She was an admirable woman and he understood the respect they had had for her, but he had hoped for at least a chance to make it right. The only one willing to respect him was the young Quartermaster, probably because he was in quite the same position. But in the end it didn't matter because Mallory didn't need friends, or anyone to look for him. Even if they appreciated him he couldn't trust the so…

It was 7 am when the first employees arrived, Moneypenny with them. As usual she entered in his office to prepare the files of the day but stopped abruptly in the doorframe. She looked startled to see him here so soon.

"Sir ? When did you arrived ? You were still here yesterday night when I left."

"It appears that I didn't see the time pass. I stayed here for the night to take care of few papers from the past week I forgot about."

"Well, maybe you should have save your strength sir, because 007 is back."

 _Oh goddammit, this could not end well._

"Thank you Miss Moneypenny, please let him know I need to see him."

"Yes sir, and… Sorry to ask but… Are you ok ?"

At this question Mallory raised his head from the papers in front of him and he only hoped he had been able to hide his surprise. It was the first time since age that someone asked him this question, usually they just didn't care.

"Yes, of course Miss Moneypenny, I'm fine. Please send me Bond."

"Yes sir." And with that she left, still looking a little bit trouble.

After that the meeting with 007 went as expected, that means like hell. For his defence the spy was sent in a little recognition's mission and ended tracking a cartel of drogue's dealer in Madrid, destroying half of the city. At the end it finished with Bond yelling at him that Mallory 'would never be her', 'didn't deserve the post', and finally 'didn't deserve his respect', before the agent stormed out of the office.

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When Eve saw James so angry she stopped him. If no one really liked Mallory it was common knowledge that 007 almost hated him, and seeing the agent like that gave all the information needed to know.

"Listen James, I need to talk to you, Q and Tanner, so maybe we could go out and get a drink together, okay ? So that you can calm down."

"I don't know what you have in mind, but I won't refuse a drink right now."

And 30 minutes later they all were in a little bar, all four with a drink in front of them. It wasn't the first time they found themselves here, drinking together and gossiping about the life in MI6. But this time Eve had a very precise topic in head.

"Listen guys, it's about Mallory… He is not fine."

The three boys froze, and look at her for several seconds, without understood where this conversation was leading. Finally it was Bill who spoke the first, following by Q.

"Yes I know, he has lost weight and seems paler than usual."

"And he stays even more night at the office than me, and that's says a lot."

"And ? I mean, he is a bureaucrat, spending few nights at the office is the least he can do, no ? We already go in the field, we don't have to babysit him as well !"

James didn't understand. This man was a jerk, so why everybody should be worried for him ? Staying safe in his office was his job, even when agents like him were risking their life in the field. After all M did understand that when she was here.

"Oh come on ! When it was her if she seemed even a little bit stressed during the day you broke in her house the very same night to see if she was ok, and now you're saying me that for him it's normal. And you Bill you always took care she didn't miss any lunch, and for him nothing, because I'm pretty sur he didn't eat anything yesterday nor today. The only one with a decent behaviour had been Q.

Listen, honestly we can says that there is not a lot of people who actually like him and he is smart enough to see that. The thing is, earlier when I asked him if he was ok, he seemed to be so surprised that someone cared enough to asked him…"

A heavy and uncomfortable silence was now settled at the table, and the four of them were thinking about their behaviour with the head of the MI6 during these past few months. Tanner thought that maybe he had been a little bit cold whit his chief and James decided that maybe he had judge him a little bit too hard. After all the man had been in the field before and he had took a bullet for M before so…

"I think you need to know something else, he should absolutely not be aware of that and maybe I shouldn't talk to you about it, but I think it can help you to understand.

When they decided to name him as the new 'M' I have been looking in his file to know who we would have to work with, and… some parts were encrypted so, you know me, I dug a little bit deeper and… I found the reason why he had been a captive of IRA during three months."

"And what's the reason, Q ?" asked Tanner, knowing that the Quartermaster didn't to speak for nothing.

"Studying the reports taught me that he was very close to a man named Marc McMurray, they were always in the same missions and always cover each other back, and Mallory trusted him with his life. They were together in this mission, and the reason why their team had been capture is that there was a mole…"

"Marc McMurray…" whispered James, the knowing taste of the treason in his mouth.

"Yeah, it vas him. And in the psychologic evaluation after his rescue Mallory just declared that he wouldn't trust anyone again in his life."

So Tanner decided that he had been definitely too cold whit his chief and James accepted the fact that he had judge this man really too hard, Eve just wished she had reacted sooner. But it wasn't too late after all, maybe with some efforts from everyone they could make it right.

"Ok, so now this is officially over. Bill, you gonna take care of him like you used to do with the old M, James, you will stop being such an asshole with him, it would be a great start, and I will do what I need to do to see him a little more rested. Is everyone ok with this plan ?"

"Yes Ma'am !" The insolent boys replied, and with this new resolution they went back to the MI6.

It was 5 pm when Eve decided that it was enough for his boss, and she headed for his office with the firm intention to oblige him to go back home. But nothing in the life is easy and maybe it's why at 5 pm the M-Branch exploded.

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 **I hope you have appreciated ! Sorry for the faults, I'm french and have no Beta ^^**

 **Reviews are my drogues so please don't hesitate !**


	2. Chapter 2 : Explosion

**One more chapter and it will probably be the end ;)**

 **Enjoy !**

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Maybe the most ironical part was that finally Gareth was beginning to be tempted by the virtues of the sleep. A moment he was closing his eyes and the other he was projected with force against the wall behind him, air knocked out of his lunges. Mallory is not sur if yes or no he lost consciousness, but the next time he opened his eyes there is nothing but destruction and flames in front of him. His office along with all the M-Branch is just a stretch of debris and trash.

When Gareth tried to hear if anyone near him survived, all he is able to catch is the ringing of the explosion in his ears. Deciding that he absolutely wanted to know the state oh his employees Mallory tried to stand up, only to fail immediately. It was only at this moment that the head of the MI6 took the time to look at himself, and if he what he saw was mostly scratch he knew he probably had a concussion and few broken ribs. But when the head of the MI6 checked is there was a risk of punctured lung, he saw something that wasn't there before. In his right side was a piece of wood, probably from his desk, of the length and width of a pen stuck between his lasts ribs. Huh, that wasn't good.

Now a little more lucid, Gareth tried again to get up, this time more slowly and more carefully. It was hard and it hurt like hell but after several seconds he was on his foot. He hid his wound behind his vest and slowly proceed toward the rest of his door. The M-Branch was completely destroyed, and a lot of peoples were hurt or dead. He saw the familiar figure of Eve and called for her.

"Eve !" She came straight to him, and from what he was able to see she wasn't injured.

"Sir, please tell me you're alright."

She seemed truly worried and during an instant he was tempted to list her his wounds but stopped himself. She would only insisted to take him to a hospital, and he didn't want to show any weakness in front of persons supposed to be able to trust him.

"Yes, I'm fine, just scratch, don't worry. Listen, I need Q to try to find where the bomb was and who put it there, Tanner must begin the transfer to the new secure place and you should probably lead the evacuation of the wounded ones, clear ? I will try to be in communication with the PM as soon as possible."

"With all my respect sir, you really should go to see the medics. You look like you are about to pass out. "

"There is no time for that now. I swear I'll go just after the meeting."

And with that he walked away, not wanting her to see that something was wrong with him. After that Mallory spend the next hours organising a video-conference with the PM, checking the preliminary rapport with the numbers of dead and wounded employees, and finally looking at the evacuation.

It was three later when the head of MI6 finally was able to get in the Q-Branch to see the progress in the investigations. Bond, Moneypenny, Tanner and Q were already there, waiting for him. When he was close enough to see their faces he saw the worried looks they were sharing.

"Stop that right now, I'm not dead yet. Q, what did you find ?"

"After studying the damages I can say that the bomb was just at the door of your office, so you probably the target. And I haven't seen anyone suspect came in or out the building the pasts few days so that means it is someone from the M-Branch…"

"We have a mole." Tanner finally conclude.

"Ok, so we need to… to be careful and…to…to…" The words were suddenly difficult to find and the walls seemed to move, along with the floor. Before he knew it his knees buckled and gave out under him. The last coherent though he could manage was that the floor was really soft and hot.

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James was the faster to react, he had observed his boss and knew something was off since he arrived, and only managed to catch him before he hits the floor. He immediately searched the cause of his boss's sate and gasped when he found it.

"What's the fuck is that ?"

"He told me he was fine !" Shouted Eve as she discovered the damages the explosion has occasioned for her boss.

"Clearly he wasn't. And he took care of everything in that state ? This man is crazy." Calmly asked Bill.

"We need to take him to medics now! He clearly need to be taken care of !" Q all but shouted.

"No, we can't." This time it was Moneypenny who answered, much calmer.

"But why ? He need medical attention !" The Quartermaster replied with indignation.

"Remember what we just said, he was without doubt the target of the bomb and we have a mole within the staff of the MI6. We must take him somewhere else where he would be safer. My flat will be the last place they would checked for and I will able to protect him and take care of his wounds there the time you find our mole." James directed with authority.

He was now a double-oh agent with a mission, and every ones –even Q– nodded in acceptance. Bill helped the agent to transport their boss in his car as the Quartermaster guided them –nobody should be able to see M in this state– and Eve began her investigation. M had suffered to protect them and had assumed his role as a leader, now it was their turn to help their boss.

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 **I hope you liked it ! Still no Beta so sorry for the rather poor language ^^**

 **Please let a review :)**


	3. Chapter 3 : Recovery ?

**One more chapter and it will probably be the end ;) Many thanks to** **MajoraDreemurr52 for the wonderful work as a Beta !**

 **Enjoy !**

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The pain he felt upon regaining consciousness was nearly unbearable - his side was on fire and his head was just about to explode. It was exactly the same, as if he was back _there_ and this simple though made him wanted to cry. The last thing he remembered was the briefing in the new Q-branch and the treat of a mole…

Mole!

If _that_ was the case why the MI6 was in danger, he needed to do something! But the pain didn't seem to agree. It wasn't letting him think correctly and despite the saying of his logic, Gareth's fears brought him back in that cell.

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James was in the kitchen when he heard small noises coming from his room. Earlier that evening he had put Mallory in his bed and took care of all his injuries - wrapped his ribs in gaze, stitched the wounds on his right side and his forehead –he could do little more for the concussion– and was now trying to prepare something for them to eat. Curious, and maybe a little bit worried, –but he would rather die than reveal that point to anyone– James decided to and check on his superior.

But he wasn't prepared for the sight waiting him in the bed. Mallory was sweaty, entangled in the shits and, for the first time, James saw an expression of true fear in his face. It wasn't hard for James to figure out what was in the head of the new M in an instant - as a double-oh agent Bond had his own part of bad memories.

Perhaps that was the reason why, in the next moment, he found himself at the head of the bed, with his hand on the shoulder of the injured man, quietly calling his name as in shushing him.

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Gareth could hear a voice, calling him from the darkness of his cell. He was certain that he knew that voice, yet he couldn't remember the owner. Maybe it was Marc, maybe it was his friend, coming to free him, to tell him that he was sorry, that it was just an undercover mission, that in truth he would never betray him…

But no, it wasn't his voice. His friend had truly and definitely betrayed him and there was no escape from this cell or this pain. And with that thought all the fight and all the hope seemed to abandon him, leaving him alone, at the mercy of the darkness.

And maybe it was indeed a mercy, now he didn't have to fight anymore, now he could just welcome the numbness and the overwhelming fatigue. Maybe if he just closed his eyes few seconds everything could finally stop…

Gareth jerked awake with a shout, followed by a curse when his right side and his ribs reminded him that, for now, sudden movements maybe weren't the best idea.

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James held back a grin – it was the first time his superior allowed himself to curse in his presence – and instead tightened his grip on his shoulder. The action only seemed to add to the unease of the older man who tried to escape the hold, still not entirely out of his nightmare.

"Calm down, it's okay now. You're safe."

Slowly, Gareth became aware of his surroundings and finally relaxed. The hand on his shoulder, which, at first, appeared so alien and alarming, was now comforting as he finally recognised the voice's owner.

"Where are we? And what happened?"

"In my flat. You fainted during the meeting with the others. I patched you the best I could, but you were in a pretty bad shape. Eve'll probably kill you herself for lying to her."

Even if he was out of the cell at last, Mallory's mind was still confused. Was it concern which he heard in 007's voice? And why was he in his agent's flat? Bond should be out, tracking the mole, not playing nurse with him! ...That is, if he wasn't the mole himself. At this moment nobody was trust worthy.

"And may I ask _why_ I'm in _your_ apartment ?"

Gareth felt tense again and was discreetly looking for a weapon. He didn't have a lot of chances against a double-oh agent but he be damned if he didn't put up a good fight. However, Bond seemed to understand. His next words were careful and said in an almost kind voice, visibly with an intention to reassure him –the concussion must have been really bad, since when was 007 nice with him?

"You have been unconscious for hours, so if I had wanted it, you would be dead already. And no offence, but right now you are in no shape to fight, would I decide to act," the agent stated with a slight smirk.

"I would like to see you try," snorted the head of the MI6

"I'm quite sure, but that's not the point right now. You were badly injured and with a mole within the MI6, we couldn't take the risk to take you to the medic. My flat is the most secured place we could think of and I know a thing or two about patching people up. And here we are."

"Thank you… I guess."

"Anyway, I was cooking something for both of us...," but Gareth didn't let him finish.

"Oh my God, the great James Bond, cooking? Now I've heard it all. I must have hit my head pretty hard."

"You know, when I bring home such guest, I can only make some efforts. So, now you will lay back and let me finish what I was doing if you want something to eat," replied the agent without any heat though. He stopped briefly at the doorstep.

"Your gun and your phone are in the nightstand if you need. I'll be back in a few minutes."

When James walked out the door, Gareth looked at the nightstand beside the bed. The gun and the phone were seated on top of it. With a little inspection, Gareth found that nothing was changed – the gun was loaded as it was before and the phone seemed untouched. To him, they seemed secured. He put both objects back on the nightstand and leaned back on his pillow.

Just as he closed his tired eyes, the mobile beeped. A new message.

Gareth reached for the device and unlocked it. The sender was marked as unknown. Nevertheless, he opened the message.

' _The MI6 was just the beginning. I won't stop until I've got you. Will you let other innocent die for you ? Meet me ALONE at 2pm in Hyde Park, I'll be waiting for you._

 _Marc'_

Gareth almost threw the mobile away in frustration. Of course the answer would be 'no', Marc knew him better than anyone else. The meeting was at 2pm, so he had at least three hours to make it, easy if he took a taxi or even several, but the hardest would be to escape the vigilance of a double-oh agent.

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 **I hope you liked it !** **Reviews are my addiction so please let me know what you think of it ^^**


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